Eye of the Maelstrom
by DigitalZero
Summary: Naruto learns the pain of living with a huge burden, how to deal with his tenant and overcoming hurdles that have been placed on him due to worry of the Kyuubi. Join him in his adventure of becoming a Ninja worthy of protecting his precious people. He fights thorough pain, love and loss. Naru/Ino paring and possible others in the future. Review/Fav :) All rights are Kishimotos
1. Recognition

I don't own Naruto, those rights are for Kishimoto

The Eye of the Maelstrom: Recognition

Naruto Uzumaki always thought of himself as a good child. Sure, there were the times where he played harmless pranks on the citizens of Konoha, but other than that, he was a good child who had no knowledge as to why this was happening to him.

Naruto found himself laying on the floor breathing heavily, and wincing from the pain he felt in his arm and legs. He had just escaped from a mob of villagers who had chased after him while he was scrounging through the trash for something to munch on.

They had surprised him while he was preoccupied, grabbing his hair and arms so he couldn't get away. He was surprised greatly since he didn't hear anyone at this time at night, let alone see anyone. He always tried to find food just after the sun went down, and he could sneak around better, faster, and much quieter when there were always less people and shinobi walking around the streets at night.

He could hear shouts of "Demon!" and "Monster!" in the cries of the villagers who were attacking him. He felt an immense explosion of warmth and pain when he received a very strong punch to his back, just next to his spinal cord. He cried out in pain and started to thrash around to see if there was anyway to get free so he could run and hide away from his attackers.

One of the villagers, who was holding him, found their hand a bit to close to Naruto's mouth. Naruto saw an opportunity in this, as he felt this man's hand on his left shoulder, and quickly took advantage of this. He bit down hard, like a vice grip, between the mans thumb and index finger and tasted a warm metallic liquid in his mouth. Realizing it was blood, he spit it out quickly due to its bitter and disgusting taste, in his opinion, and heard the man screaming bloody murder right next to him.

"AARRGH!"

"The little demon just fucking bit me!"

"Kill him!"

The man released Naruto's shoulder to nurse the wound he had just received from the blonde child.

Naruto now had one free arm and made use of yet another helpful opportunity. He twisted his body slightly to the left to try and find something he could pick up off the dirty alleyway. Frantically moving his one free hand around, he had spotted a rock, and picked it up a quick as possible to try to save himself. 

Looking around at all the commotion from the people around him, he spotted one of the men holding his leg and threw the rock as hard as he could with what little strength he had in his small body.

Luckily, the rock found its way and hit the man right in the eye. He let go of Naruto as to assess the damage done to his eye, which noteably, was in excruciating pain from the small rock. Naruto took this moment to use his now free right leg to kick the other villager in the jaw so he could finally free himself completely.

Hitting the other villager, Naruto found himself dropped to the ground with a thud, rolling over quickly, and standing up; His eyes darting around looking for an exit. He made the only escape that was visible at the moment and ran past the man with the injured eye. Turning and ducking around other villagers, he quickly found his way out of the small mob of people, and ran as fast as his legs would carry him down the side streets and back alleys of Konoha.

Stopping for a moment to catch his breath, after running for what must have been half an hour, Naruto found himself in a section of Konoha that was dirty and had a nasty atmosphere. This peculiar environment was not like most of the more popular sections that were more upbeat and lined with street vendors.

Thinking to himself, "This can't be a very good place to be, but it's better then getting beat up for no reason."

He decided to run down this street hoping to lose the mob that he could hear in the background shouting obscene things towards his direction. Walking forward with his head turned to the side to keep an eye out for villagers that might want to assist in his beating, he found himself running into a door that had just opened right in front of his path.

Stumbling backwards and falling onto his butt, he looked upwards ready to shout at the metal door that had knocked him over. He then had the misfortune of making eye contact with someone who looked quite angry.

This mysterious person had just came out of some hole in the wall bar after drinking away the pain he felt after losing his wife and child 10 years earlier. Thinking to himself about the Kyuubi attack made his blood boil. He had been out of the village on a mission after just being promoted to Chunin during the time of the attack. He had tried get time off from his commanding officer since his wife had just given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Sadly he was forced to go and patrol the border for two weeks.

Looking down after feeling the door resist opening fully, he made eye contact with a blonde haired and blue eyed child. He would recognize this face anywhere, it was the demon who took away his family and all that he cared for in this miserable world.

"You little fucking prick!," the man yelled."You took my family away from me while I was out of the village! I'm going to fucking kill you and be praised as a hero of the village, now stay still while I gut you with my fucking knife!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about mister, I'm just a kid! Not a demon!" Naruto tried to say.

"STOP WITH THE LIES DEMON, EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE!" The man screamed.

The man quickly dashed over to Naruto, who was still laying on the ground, and pulled out a Kunai. Aiming straight at Naruto, the man stepped forward, and stabbed Naruto right in the upper left arm.

Naruto cried out in pain with watery eyes; He felt his arm blow up in pain and could see the blood out of the corner of his eye.

The man twisted the Kunai around in Naruto's arm with a disgusting smile on his face, feeling relieved that he was about to end the life of the demon child who took away his family. That was soon stopped by a Shuriken that had found its way to the back of the man's head.

With a dull thump, the man fell over beside Naruto, dead. Naruto heard someone land on the ground next to him. Looking up through watery eyes, he saw someone in an Anbu outfit with eyes that glowed in the darkness. They were red and had 3 comma's around the pupil. This man was average height, around 5'6 – 5'7 and had jet black hair. He talked with a monotone voice that Naruto heard a lot of shinobi speak with.

"Are you alright, Uzumaki?"

"W-W-Who are you mister?," Naruto said without trying to cry from the pain in his arm.

"It matters not who I am, but what matters is that you should be more careful with who you run into during the night. Someone might not be around to save you next time."

"T-thank you mister, who are you? Did Hokage-jiji send you?"

"I am no one, Uzumaki, and no Hokage-Sama didn't send me."

He walked over to Naruto and placed his hand onto his shoulder and then shushined himself and Naruto outside of a run-down looking building.

"Here is your house, stay inside until morning and then go talk to Hokage-Sama about this night."

"O-okay thank you mister, will I see you again?"

"Not anytime soon, Uzumaki. If we do meet again, I hope you are a strong young man."

Naruto didn't know why the man would say that. Did he want to fight him also? Who knew?

The man then turned around and shushined away.

Naruto ran up the stairs in the building to the top floor where his apartment was. Making his way inside, he turned on a lamp he had found in the garbage a few months back. Looking at his wound, he saw that the blood was already starting to dry up. He found an old shirt that had some blood stains on it, and carefully wrapped it around his shoulder, hoping that it would help with the wound.

He laid down on the floor and noticed he was holding in a breath and released it. Panting a bit, he decided to lay there for the night hoping that no one would find him and he could get to the Hokage tomorrow morning and retell what had gone on that night.


	2. Questions

**Thank you for all the favorites and likes so far :D**

 **I don't own Naruto, all rights are Kishimotos**

 **Eye of the Maelstrom: Questions**

Naruto woke up suddenly panting and in a cold sweat, he was having that nightmare again, it was always him getting beat by villagers. It was one of the worst beatings he had gotten, all because he stole some bread from a store when they had denied to sell him anything. Calling him the usual names that he heard while aimlessly walking around the village everyday.

He sat up slowly, feeling the cold and dampness of his apartment in the early morning. He had never had heat since it always seem to shut off or break randomly, of course he knew it was the manager of the rundown building doing it on purpose. He was the only tenant in the building for crying out loud.

Standing up and walking towards the washroom to take a freezing cold shower he winced, the wounds still sore from the previous night, he had almost forgotten about last night. Who was that mysterious man? Why did he save him from the villager? Of course there were always Anbu to save him after he got a serious beating but they never took him home or talked to him, which he found really weird.

 _"Oh well"_ Naruto thought to himself as me slowly made him say to the shower

He had to get ready to visit the Hokage this morning and tell him about last night. Naruto didn't like to always run to jiji about every little thing that happened in his day to day life, he knew the old man had more important things to do as Hokage, like be the strongest and get everyone's respect, oh how he longed to be like the Hokage, everyone always bowed to him or sent a nod and smile towards him. Naruto never got any of that, that would change though, he was going to be the strongest Ninja in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

After his short shower and trying to find something halfway clean that wasn't his orange jump suit, he really loved that jump suit, he made his way outside towards the Hokage tower.

" _I wonder how graduation is going to go this time around at the academy, I really hope I pass this time. I really really hate the_ _ **Bunshin**_ _technician for the test, I can never make them like everyone else's. I practice all the time but they always look pathetic and weak"_ Naruto thought.

While walking he saw a lot of people running around frantically and wondered what was going on, was there some kind of event going on today that he didn't know about? Nah that's impossible, he always had some sort of prank ready for these kinds of things. He would have to ask the old man.

Arriving at the huge round building that was just under the Hokage mountain he walking on inside, on his way in he always got some glares from the Ninja and civilians inside and he hated it. Walking up to the receptionist's desk he called out.

"Hey lady I'm here to talk to Hokage-jiji"

"You need to make an appointment like everyone else does" She said without even looking towards him.

Angry that she didn't even look towards him, he raised his voice a bit more and said it again.

"I'M HERE TO TALK TO HOKAGE-JIJI"

Slightly startled with the loudness of this ignorant person she looked up from her nails and took notice of who it was, of course it was the little demon, he came in here quite often and never had an appointment.

"Sorry the Hokage is busy at the moment, come back later" She told him with some hate in her voice.

He always got this from the people at the desk, so he decided to make his way up there anyway. Not that it was very hard, all he had to do was sneak past the two Anbu guarding the stairwell and he was home free.

Luckily Naruto had the **Henge no Jutsu** down flat, it was easily his best technique. He Henged into his teacher from school, Iruka sensei, it was easiest to henge into him since he had learned and practiced henging into him at school.

Making his way past the guard, giving them a slight smile and nod like Iruka would do, he made him way up the stairs towards the big wooden door of the Hokage office. Walking right up to it and opening the door like he usually did he was greeted by the old man sitting just behind the big wooden desk.

"Naruto my boy, it is good to see you today, you always know the right times to give me a break from this dreadful paperwork" the Hokage said with a smile.

"Hokage-jiji it's good to see you again also" Naruto said with a bright smile on his face. His jiji was the best, he never looked at Naruto with a mean look at called him horrible names. He had been the kindest person Naruto knew, next to Iruka of course.

"Hokage-jiji, why is everyone in the village running around today? Did something happen?" Naruto asked.

The Hokage had a slight grim expression on his face when Naruto asked his.

"Somethings happened last night Naruto, you know of the Uchiha clan right?" The Hokage asked. 

When Naruto nodded the Hokage continued.

"Well last night Itachi Uchiha, the Uchiha prodigy killed everyone in the clan compound and escaped last night." The Hokage explained.

Naruto had a very surprised and shocked look on his face, weren't the Uchiha the strongest clan in the village? How was it possible one person could do this, especially someone from their own clan.

"Why would Itashi do that jiji?"

"Itachi, and I don't know Naruto, he was the strongest Uchiha in a long time. The Village had high hopes for him."

Naruto didn't particularly hate the Uchiha clan, sure they were all arrogant people and stuck up, just like Sasuke was, oh wait Sasuke!

"Jiji did Sasuke die also?" Naruto asked

"Thankfully he wasn't, he was found earlier this morning in his house unconscious. "The old man said

"Is he okay? Did he get hurt?" Naruto asked, he wasn't particularly close to Sasuke and they highly disliked each other but he didn't want him to get to hurt.

"He has sustained a lot of mental trauma, Naruto. He will be in the hospital for a few days while doctors run tests on him. I hope he makes a full recovery." The Hokage said with a small smile.

"I hope so also. Anyways jiji, I wanted to tell you that last night I got attacked by some villagers and a Chunin, or at least I think he was a Chunin" Naruto said with a slightly confused expression

The Hokage wasn't as surprised as his face showed, of course he felt sadness that little Naruto was attacked but this was happening a lot, it was slowed down since he joined the Academy.

"Are you alright Naruto? Did you get hurt badly? Who was the Chunin, did he say his name at all? Do you remember what he looked like?" Asked the Hokage

"I'm fine jiji, just sore. I don't know exactly who he was, he said I killed his family or something like that a then stabbed me with a kunai" Naruto replied

"Hmm, I'll have to get someone to find him" The Hokage muttered

"No jiji its fine, he kinda died.." Naruto said

"What?" The Hokage said surprised, did Naruto kill him?

"Yeah, some Anbu with red eyes saved me last night and told me that he hopes I get stronger" Naruto responded

The Hokage was surprised, he met Itachi, this could be a problem.

"Did he do anything do you? Attack or tell you anything else?" The Hokage asked quickly and with some force

"No no, nothing at all jiji, he took me home after he killed the chunin and then left." Naruto said slightly startled

The Hokage sat back in his chair slightly and lite up his pipe and took a puff. Things weren't going easy and he doubted they would be now since Itachi killed his clansmen. Why did he insist on doing it, sure there was a coup coming but there might have been other ways around it. " _Oh well_ " the Hokage thought, these were things for other times.

"Was there anything else you needed Naruto? I should get back to this paperwork" The Hokage said, slightly dreading it.

"Uh, no it's fine jiji, maybe I can come back tomorrow and talk some more. I should get to the academy soon, Iruka gets mad if I'm late" Naruto said sheepishly

"Alright Naruto, be safe and come back soon" the Hokage said with a smile

Naruto waved a goodbye and made his way out of the building. His mind filled with what the Hokage told him before. The entire Uchiha clan wiped out by one man, that was mind boggling, hopefully Sasuke makes a swift recovery so he can be there for the graduation soon.

 **Thank you for reading this chapter :) I hope it wasn't to slow and boring, I kind of dragged it on a bit. If you have any suggestions they would help a lot with this since it is my first time writing a fic, I hope to continue this for quite sometime. Fav and Review it if you wish.  
**


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